[Saba Sports News] According to Spanish media reports, Achraf Hakimi, right-back of the Morocco national team, will learn this Friday local time whether the Versailles Court of Appeal will send him to trial on rape charges. The order to refer him for trial was issued by an investigating judge at the end of February, against which the player filed an appeal. Hakimi is accused of raping a 24-year-old woman in late February 2023. At a hearing held before the investigating court in May this year, Hakimi requested that all charges against him be dismissed. He was formally indicted, placed under judicial supervision, and ultimately ordered to stand trial this February. During the hearing, his lawyer insisted that “the allegations rest solely on the complainant’s uncorroborated testimony, which has complicated the entire investigation.” Counsel also pointed out that the woman had “attempted to conceal multiple communications with an acquaintance from judicial authorities, messages in which the two plotted to steal from Mr. Hakimi.”
The editor believes that Achraf Hakimi is currently competing in the World Cup with the Morocco national team, and news that he may have to stand trial will more or less take a toll on him mentally.